Product Review: Effervescent Creatine

Effervescent creatine is simply creatine with bicarbonate and citrate salts added, which buffer the creatine to a specific pH when added to water. In water, the creatine separates from the salt and goes into solution with a pH of about 4. When you drink it, this pH signals the stomach to shuttle the creatine rapidly to the small intestine, where it is quickly absorbed into the bloodstream and out to the muscles you’re working so hard to build. The more quickly and completely that the creatine is absorbed, the more creatine your muscles have available to them for re-building after an intense workout. In fact, effervescently delivered creatine is almost fully absorbed, compared to about 35 percent absorption for plain creatine monohydrate in water.

There's claims of less bloating and greater absorption into the muscles.

I don't know about muscle absorption, but the claims of "less bloating" is ridiculous.

You're putting a fizzy, gassy substance into your system a short period of time before working out. That causes cramps under heavy exertion. It completely messes with your workout, whether it's lifting or cardio-related.

I did not experience any problems with it. The absorption claims make sense over a regular powder. Oh well.

Ah, the beautiful irony of the human body.

But if regular cheap (yet clean) creatine works for you, why pay 5X as much? That is the question I asked myself. The only side-effect I get from powdered creatine is my arms get too pumped for MA training if I take it too close to my training sessions. But for weights, it is gravy.

I thought it was funny that the side-effects that most people claim from regular creatine [bloating / cramping / nausea] is what I got from the effervescent type...which is supposed to alleviate those side-effects.